LIGHT MODULE OF MOTOR VEHICLE FOR GENERATING SPOT DISTRIBUTION OF HIGH-BEAM-LIGHT DISTRIBUTION AND VEHICLE HEADLIGHTS HAVING SUCH MODULE

• US 20120275173A1
• Filed: 04/12/2012
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marelli Automotive Lighting Reutlingen (Germany) GmbH
• Original Assignee: Automotive Lighting Reutlingen GmbH (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Hamm, Michael, Rosenhahn, Ernst-Olaf, Stefanov, Emil P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,801,242 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/487
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1423 Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/056 Special anti-blinding beams, e.g. a standard beam is chopped or moved in order not to blind
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/143 the main emission direction of the LED being parallel to the optical axis of the illuminating device
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/151 arranged in one or more lines
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/24 Light guides
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/663 by switching light sources by switching incandescent light sources F21S41/162
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0008 the light being emitted at the end of the fibre

Abstract

A light module of a motor vehicle generates a spot distribution of a high-beam-light distribution formed by superimposition of the spot distribution and a base distribution generated by at least one other module. The light module comprises a plurality of separately controllable sub-modules that generate a plurality of stripe-shaped segments of the spot distribution that supplement it. Also, a headlight generates the high-beam-light distribution and comprises the light module. Furthermore, a headlight system comprises a pair of the headlights disposed in a front region toward sides of the vehicle and each of which generates the high-beam-light distribution. The headlights include corresponding light modules that generate stripe-shaped segments of left and right sides, respectively, of the spot distribution such that the stripe-shaped segments of the light modules of the headlights supplement the spot distribution or are at least partially superimposed thereon.

Claims

1. A light module of a motor vehicle for generating a spot distribution (100) of a high-beam-light distribution (100, 110) formed by superimposition of the spot distribution (100) and a base distribution (110) generated by at least one other module, wherein the light module comprises:

a plurality of separately controllable sub-modules that generate a plurality of stripe-shaped segments (102) of the spot distribution (100) that supplement the spot distribution (100).

2. The light module according to claim 1, wherein the sub-modules each have at least one light source (132) and, during operation of the light module, the at least one light source (132) is deactivated and the stripe-shaped segment (102) of which lies in a zone in which another road user (104) has been detected.

3. The light module according to claim 1, wherein a relationship of height of the stripe-shaped segment (102) to a width thereof is at least about 3:

1.

4. The light module according to claim 3, wherein the relationship of the height of the stripe-shaped segment (102) to the width thereof is as much as about 10:

1.

5. The light module according to claim 1, wherein a width of the spot distribution (100) has a maximum of about ±

20°

in a substantially horizontal plane and a minimum of about ±

5°

in the substantially horizontal plane.

6. The light module according to claim 5, wherein the width of the spot distribution (100) has a maximum of about ±

10°

substantially horizontally and a minimum of about ±

7°

substantially horizontally.

7. The light module according to claim 1, wherein a width of each of the stripe-shaped segments (102) is about 1°

to 3°

substantially horizontally on a substantially perpendicular test screen disposed at a distance from the light module.

8. The light module according to claim 7, wherein the width of each of the stripe-shaped segments (102) is about 1°

to 1.5°

substantially horizontally on the substantially perpendicular test screen disposed at the distance from the light module.

9. The light module according to claim 1, wherein a height of each of the stripe-shaped segments (102) is about 3°

to 20°

substantially vertically above a substantially horizontal plane (HH) on a substantially perpendicular test screen disposed at a distance to the light module.

10. The light module according to claim 9, wherein the height of each of the stripe-shaped segments (102) is about 5°

to 15°

substantially vertically above the substantially horizontal plane (HH) on the substantially perpendicular test screen disposed at the distance to the light module.

11. The light module according to claim 1, wherein the stripe-shaped segments (102) disposed adjacently in the spot distribution (100) have at most only a substantially small overlap at edges.

12. The light module according to claim 1, wherein overlap for each side is a maximum of substantially ¼

of a width of the stripe-shaped segments in a substantially horizontal plane.

13. The light module according to claim 12, wherein the overlap for each of the sides is a maximum of substantially 0.25°

in the substantially horizontal plane.

14. The light module according to claim 1, wherein the stripe-shaped segments (102) disposed substantially close to a substantially vertical plane (VV) have a maximum luminosity level of about 80 lx to 120 lx in a proximity of an intersection (HV) of a substantially horizontal plane (HH) and a substantially vertical plane (VV).

15. The light module according to claim 14, wherein the stripe-shaped segments (102) disposed at a distance of about 5°

from the substantially vertical plane (VV) have a maximum luminosity level of about 30 lx to 50 lx in the proximity of the substantially horizontal plane (HH).

16. The light module according to claim 1, wherein the light module has a plurality of semiconductor-light sources (132) that are disposed adjacently in a single line and emit visible light, a primary lens is disposed in a light path of the semiconductor-light sources (132) designed as a lens row having a plurality of optically effective components (122) that are disposed adjacently in a single line and bundle the light emitted from the semiconductor-light sources (132), at least one secondary lens (138) is disposed in a continuation of a course of the light path that maps the light bundle for obtaining the spot distribution in front of the motor vehicle, the primary lens (120) has optically effective exit lenses aside from the lens row with the optically effective components (122) disposed in the light path downstream of the lens row, each of the optically effective components (122) has a plurality of designated exit lenses (140), including a main exit lens (140b), with collecting properties on an optical axis (130) of the optically effective component (122) and adjacent to the main exit lens (140b) and at least one secondary exit lens (140a, 140c), a majority of the light bundled by one of the optically effective components (122) passes through the main exit lens (140b) designated to the optically effective component (122), and remaining light bundled by the optically effective component (122) passes through at least one of the secondary exit lenses designated to the optically effective component (122).

17. The light module according to claim 16, wherein the main exit lenses (140b) and secondary exit lenses (140a, 140c) each have a light-exit surface with a substantially longitudinal extension in a substantially vertical axis.

18. The light module according to claim 17, wherein the light-exit surfaces of respective neighboring exit lenses (140) border one another directly along lateral edges thereof.

19. A motor-vehicle headlight for generating a high-beam-light distribution (100, 110) formed by superimposition of a spot distribution (100) and a base distribution generated by at least one other module, the headlight comprising:

a light module for generating the spot distribution (100) of the high-beam-light distribution and including a plurality of separately controllable sub-modules that generate a plurality of stripe-shaped segments (102) of the spot distribution (100) that supplement the spot distribution (100).

20. The motor-vehicle headlight according to claim 19, wherein the light module is subdivided into a plurality of separately controllable sub-modules that generate a plurality of stripe-shaped segments (102) of the spot distribution (100), the stripe-shaped segments (102) supplement the spot distribution (100), the sub-modules each have at least one light source (132) that is deactivated while the light module is in operation and the stripe-shaped segment (102) of which would lie in a zone in which another road user (104) has been detected, and control of the light sources (132) of the sub-modules is adjusted to control of a base module such that, at substantially a same time as a deactivation of at least a respective part of the base distribution (110;

116b) that would lie in the zone in which the other road user (104) has been detected, the at least one light source (132) that is to be deactivated is deactivated.

21. A headlight system for a motor vehicle, the system comprising:

a pair of motor-vehicle headlights disposed in a front region toward sides of the vehicle and each of which generates a high-beam-light distribution (100, 110) formed by superimposition of a spot distribution (100) and a base distribution generated by at least one other module, wherein one of the headlights includes a light module that generates stripe-shaped segments (102) of a left side of the spot distribution (100) and the other of the headlights includes a light module that generates stripe-shaped segments (102) of a right side of the spot distribution (100) such that the stripe-shaped segments (102) of the light modules of the headlights either of supplement the spot distribution (100) and are at least partially superimposed thereon.